It's no longer a big secret that the highly anticipated (by some) iPhone 12 mini has largely failed to convert its pre-release buzz into a satisfactory box-office result, unlike the other three members of Apple's first-ever 5G-enabled handset family, all of which seem to be surpassing the initial expectations of their manufacturers, especially stateside.
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Bigger is indeed better, at least in the eyes of US iPhone buyers
That already towering figure is naturally made that much more impressive by the unusually late global release of Apple's newest high-enders. The "standard" iPhone 12 and the 6.1-inch 12 Pro made their commercial debut in over two dozen markets, US included, on October 23, mind you, followed by the diminutive 12 mini and jumbo-sized 12 Pro Max on November 13.
iPhone 12 Pro Max
Believe it or not, that means a little over a month and a half was enough for the $1099 and up iPhone 12 Pro Max to match the 17 percent sales share of the considerably cheaper non-Pro iPhone 12, despite the latter model's important head start in official availability.
The $999 and up iPhone 12 Pro was reportedly "right behind" Apple's top two performers of its first fiscal quarter of 2021 (i.e. the final calendar quarter of 2020), which brings us to arguably the tech giant's greatest achievement of last year. Come to think of it, this could be Cupertino's most remarkable feat ever, especially considering the fact it was accomplished in the midst of a pandemic that threw a monkey wrench in its original iPhone 12 launch plans.
Higher prices, more storage, more money
We're talking about setting a new US Weighted Average Retail Price (US-WARP) record in the almost ten-year history of CIRP's related measurements. Basically, the average price of all iPhones sold stateside between October and December 2020 came out at $873, up from an already solid $809 for the last three months of the previous year.
iPhone 12
Part of that progress is due to the regular (and extremely popular) iPhone 12 variant carrying a higher MSRP than the similarly successful 6.1-inch non-Pro iPhone 11 back in the fall of 2019.
At the same time, another big contributing factor to the rising US-WARP was the unprecedented enthusiasm of "iFans" for storage upgrades. Namely, it looks like roughly half of all iPhone 12 series buyers in the US in Q4 2020 opted for something other than an entry-level configuration, further boosting Apple's chunky profit margins.
Apple TV+ is on the rise as well
Interestingly, this incredibly successful quarter for the iPhone portfolio on the whole seems to have gone hand in hand with a decent performance from Apple's Services segment. As usual, paid iCloud storage topped this department's penetration charts, securing the hard-earned money of more than 50 percent of all US buyers for a substantial hike over the same number reported around a year ago.
Impressively, a couple of other services also made nice gains of their own between Q4 2019 and Q4 2020. Specifically, Apple Music, and yes, Apple TV+, the latter of which is finally growing in popularity following a disappointing start in an incredibly crowded and competitive market.
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Of course, not even Apple can make every single product and platform work, and while the company's podcasts and paid news have maintained their "early" levels of popularity, said levels are anything but awe-inspiring, especially in comparison with the aforementioned music and video streaming services. Last but not least, the prohibitive AppleCare extended warranties for both iPhones and iPads are still fairly unpopular, nonetheless generating steady streams of revenue with minimal expenses on Cupertino's part.
Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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